2008 Woodie Awards
Violators will be fined: parking ticket fees on the rise
Michael Bronstine
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Forum
Southeast Missouri State University students spend thousands on tuition, books, and living expenses each year but that is not counting parking fines.
Annually, the city of Cape Girardeau writes close to a thousand parking tickets with about 25 percent of those tickets originating from the Alta Vista Drive area near Crisp hall. Students, who must find a parking space in order to attend class, are bearing the brunt of these fines.
Currently the fine for parking on a street with limited or time controlled parking is $10. If an ordinance brought up by the city council is passed, the fine could rise to $25.
Councilman John Voss of ward one has been one of the voices of concerned citizens who do not like students parking on their city streets. At the March 3 city council meeting, Voss and many others, like Councilwoman Debra Tracy, proposed a $15 increase in all parking violations. The first reading was passed with the second and third readings coming up at the next city council meeting on March 17.
So will students bite the bullet and face heavier fines on city streets? Will they try parking on campus where fines can range up to $40 for parking in a preferred student lot without a tag? No matter where they park, students are looking at some serious cash loss unless they park legally.
The long-term effect of incurring too many campus tickets, as the Department of Public Safety at Southeast points out, is having your car booted. If left unpaid, students can be kicked out of classes and can have their grades as well as their diplomas withheld. This is enough incentive to keep students from wanting to park on campus.
So why do students stray from campus controlled parking lots? Many students may feel that it is cheaper to park on any city street instead of paying up to $145 to park in one spot on campus. Students can also park closer to their classes by parking on city streets than parking in certain lots that at times can be on the opposite side of campus.
Annually, the city of Cape Girardeau writes close to a thousand parking tickets with about 25 percent of those tickets originating from the Alta Vista Drive area near Crisp hall. Students, who must find a parking space in order to attend class, are bearing the brunt of these fines.
Currently the fine for parking on a street with limited or time controlled parking is $10. If an ordinance brought up by the city council is passed, the fine could rise to $25.
Councilman John Voss of ward one has been one of the voices of concerned citizens who do not like students parking on their city streets. At the March 3 city council meeting, Voss and many others, like Councilwoman Debra Tracy, proposed a $15 increase in all parking violations. The first reading was passed with the second and third readings coming up at the next city council meeting on March 17.
So will students bite the bullet and face heavier fines on city streets? Will they try parking on campus where fines can range up to $40 for parking in a preferred student lot without a tag? No matter where they park, students are looking at some serious cash loss unless they park legally.
The long-term effect of incurring too many campus tickets, as the Department of Public Safety at Southeast points out, is having your car booted. If left unpaid, students can be kicked out of classes and can have their grades as well as their diplomas withheld. This is enough incentive to keep students from wanting to park on campus.
So why do students stray from campus controlled parking lots? Many students may feel that it is cheaper to park on any city street instead of paying up to $145 to park in one spot on campus. Students can also park closer to their classes by parking on city streets than parking in certain lots that at times can be on the opposite side of campus.
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